[…] It was in the theatre – the Glasgow Pavilion – that BBC producer Stephen McCrum discovered Mrs Brown’s Boys, three years ago. On the recommendation of friends, including Rab C Nesbitt creator Ian Pattison, “I went along to see the show,” says McCrum. “And it was very, very funny. I don’t believe in God, but I nearly did that night. The audience was full of 200 old women laughing, alongside ushers who were about 16 or 17 and also pissing themselves. It was immediately clear: there’s something happening here.” By now, O’Carroll and his troupe had been honing their broad stage comedies for over a decade. “The touring O’Carrolls”, as Kellett calls them, included O’Carroll’s sister, his son and daughter, his daughter-in-law, his son’s best friend, and three pals of more than 20 years’ standing. […]
